Subway and train seat indicator



June 3, 1952 C. HEINE SUBWAY AND TRAIN SEAT INDICATOR Filed Jan. 3, 1950O 4 4 1 F :1 6 5:2 :3 2 1 u :4 g

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INVENTOR.

(harks Heine Patented June 3, 1952 UNITED STATE SUBWAY AND TRAIN SEATINDICATOR CharlesHcine, New York, N. Y. Application January 3, 1950,Serial No. 136,442

1 Claim. 1

The present invention relates to annunciator devices for the currentindication of prospective vacancies of seats in subway or railroadtrains, buses, street cars and other public conveyances, whichfrequently are crowded, so that a portion of the passengers cannot finda seat. Passengers, who have to ride as standees constantly are lookingfor seats that may become vacant at the various stops, and to facilitatethe finding of such vacancies is an object of the present invention.

More specifically, the main object of the present invention is theprovision of a device of the character described which is placed into acompartment or close to a row of seats in a vehicle, so that it can beoperated by the occupants of four or more seats in such a manner as toindicate at which station each occupant of each seat will get off. Whenthe occupants of the seats have indicated their destinations on my newand improved indicator, the standee passengers who wish to sit down canplace themselves near those seats which will be vacated soon.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a device ofthe character described which is simple in operation and construction,which requires only a very small space, and which offers space forplacing advertising imprints thereon, so that it can be furnished topublic carriers free of charge by advertisers, or can be leased out toadvertisers.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details ofconstruction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully describedand pointed out in the claim, it being understood that changes may bemade in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing fromthe spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawing a preferred form of the invention has beenshown.

In said drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a preferred embodiment of my invention; and

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views.

In the drawing the numeral 2 denotes a plate of cardboard, plasticmaterial or the like adapted to be hung up in upright position or to beotherwise secured to a wall, or a post, or the like in a vehicle. Theplate 2 is provided with parallel slots 4 whose number corresponds tothe number of seats near each plate 2 or within a compart- 2 ment. Intheinstance shown, the plate 2 is pro vided with four slots 4, andbetween, and parallel to the slots 4, there is, preferably in the.center portion of the plate 2, a row of indicia 6. These indicia 6 maybe numbers as shown, or the names of stations, or any other suitablefigures, words or the like. A short pointer 8 is slidable in each ofthose slotted portions of said plate which is close to the indicia 6,and a long pointer I0 is slidable in each of those slotted portions ofsaid plate which is close to the vertical edges of the plate 2. I preferto make each pointer of one strip of metal, plastic material, or thelike, which is bent as shown in Figure 2 to consist of a sleeve-likeportion I2 through which is extended a portion of said plate that isadjacent a slot and of an arrow-shaped portion extended from saidsleevelike portion. The arrow-shaped portion of each long pointer l0being longer than the arrowshaped portions of the pointers 8, and islaterally further extended beyond the surface of said plate than are thearrow-shaped portions of said short pointers. Thus the arrow-shapedportions of the pointers It! can be shifted over the arrow-shapedportions of the pointers 8, so that each pointer can be moved on theplate 2 independently from the other pointers.

Each pointer, or each slotted plate portion in which each pointer ismovable can be marked with letters (for instance A, B, C, D, as shown),or with figures, or the like indicating a seat, and correspondingindicia can be provided at each seat. In the instance shown the deviceindicates that the occupant of seat A will leave at the fourth station,the occupant of seat B will leave at the eleventh station, the occupantof seat C will leave at the seventh station, and the occupant of seat Dwill leave at the fourteenth station.

Since certain changes may be made in the above article and differentembodiments of the invention could be made without departing from thescope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the abovedescription or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted asillustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claim is intended tocover all of the generic and specific features of the invention hereindescribed, and all statements of the scope of the invention which as amatter of language might be said to fall therebetween.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent in the United States is:

A train seat indicator comprising a sheet of 7 stifi material having inits center portion a longitudinal row of indicia parallel to oppositeedges of the sheet and having two pairs of longitudinal slots each pairbeing in a side portion of the sheet and parallel to and co-extensivewith said row of indicia; a first pair of pointers; and a second pair ofpointers; each pointer being formed of a single strip of material andhaving an arrowshaped portion rightangularly disposed to the slots andpointing toward the row of indicia; each of said first pair of pointershaving a sleeve portion which is slidable on and surrounds a section ofa side portion of said sheet intermedi ate a pair of slots, and having ashort intermediate portion rightangularly disposed to the arrow-shapedportion and joining the latter to the sleeve portion; and each of saidsecond air of pointers having a sleeve portion which isright/angularlydisposed to the arrow-shaped portion and joining the latter to thesleeve portion in such' a manner that the arrow-shaped portions of saidsecond pair of pointers move on a plane which is farther spaced fromsaid sheet than is the plane on which move the arrowshaped portions ofsaid first pair of pointers.

CHARLES HEINE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

